Rainbow Village Alumni

Spotlight on Rainbow Village Graduate: Carrie Chaney

Carrie Chaney was doing just
fine. She had a good job, roof over her head, beautiful teenage daughter,
committed boyfriend of three years and bouncing baby boy on the way. In 2009, a
“perfect storm” took hold in her life, turning her whole world upside down.
That same year, the economic downturn wreaked havoc on the construction
industry. Her company – a construction adhesive supplier – laid her off and
shuttered their doors. Over the course of the next two months, her boyfriend
went from being a productive member of society to an abusive daily drug user.
Not wanting to raise her children in that environment, she told her boyfriend
to leave – even though that meant raising her children all on her own with
nothing to live on but government assistance, food stamps, unemployment and
child support checks. By 2010, she was sued by a former creditor – requiring
her to declare bankruptcy. Carrie’s mother moved in with them to help alleviate
some of the financial and childcare issues while Carrie returned to school to
become a certified medical assistant. Unfortunately, the jobs she was able to
find either paid too little or required a long commute.

By 2013, Carrie was at her wit’s
end and barely staying afloat. Her former boyfriend continued to hound her –
even showing up at the apartment with a gun. She filed a restraining order but remained
frightened at all times. As luck would have it, her teenage daughter was able
to land several scholarships and a student loan – allowing her to move on to
college and a brighter future. Sadly, at home, Carrie was no longer able to
cobble together enough to stay in her apartment and she wanted to get as far
away from her former boyfriend and his threats as possible. She took her
toddler son and moved from Rockdale County into her sister’s small home in Gwinnett
County – where they slept in the only space available, a pallet on the floor of
her nephew’s bedroom. Before the move, Carrie held an estate sale and sold off
nearly all of her possessions. The rest she tucked away in a 5×10 storage unit
or loaded into her Toyota Corolla. She soon landed a sales job making $200/week
+ commission – only she never saw any of the latter because she learned that
she did not have an affinity for sales. Carrie recalled on numerous occasions
taking her son for rides in the car to get out of her sister’s hair for a
little while, and then sitting in parking lots crying and praying because she
didn’t know where to go or what to do.

“I didn’t know how I was going to
find a full-time job or afford childcare,” said Carrie. “I felt desperate and
broken. The emotional side of what I was going through was just as big as the
financial side. I was in my mid-30’s and having to start all over again. I’d
never felt so helpless or hopeless before in my life.”

Little did she know, Carrie’s
prayers were already being heard and answered. She learned about Rainbow
Village and applied for our program. Not long after, she received a call from United
Parcel Service stating that they’d come across an old application she had
submitted. She was hired on in a part-time managerial role and felt as though
she had won the lottery. The money was still meager, but she had benefits for
the first time in a long time. She soon learned that she had been accepted into
our program – where she moved into an apartment with her young son and began
benefitting from our childcare program, life skills classes, counseling and
sense of community. Our job placement program found a full-time position for
Carrie not far from the Rainbow Village campus working at Howard Brothers in
Duluth. Marking her first full-time job since 2009, she started in the summer
of 2015 and has been there ever since.

“I wasn’t looking for a hand out,
I needed a hand up,” insisted Carrie. “I remember praying to God in my car ‘Open
the door and I will do the work to walk through it.’ Having a place to stay was
a huge relief, but to have a support system to show me the way, assess my
skills and place me in a job I love helped me feel as though I had finally dug
my way out of a hole and could see forward progress. Rainbow Village helped me
get on my feet in every way possible and never ever passed judgement.”

Carrie recalled that our life
skills classes that encouraged participants to pull together vision boards,
take part in mock interviews and learn how to dress for success were essential
to her regaining a great deal of the confidence she had lost. Leaving Rainbow
Village was bittersweet and a bit scary, but Carrie also felt the pride of
striking out on her own was a powerful motivator. Today, she lives in a place
of her own with her son Hayden, who continues to participate in the afterschool
program at Rainbow Village’s community center.

“A lot of the people I met at Rainbow Village had a hard life from the get go as a result of generational poverty – one of the cycles the program strives to break,” said Carrie. “I enjoyed a middle-class upbringing and early adulthood, and NEVER would have dreamed that what happened to me could have ever happened. Never say never. I’ve learned that it can happen to literally anyone. I feel so blessed to have found a community that supported me – that continues to support me – at Rainbow Village. If anything good has come from all of this, I believe I have a bigger heart now and more compassion for others.”

Today, Carrie serves as a Program Alumni Representative on Rainbow Village’s Board.

Like many families with a graduate or two in their midst, there has been a flurry of activity in and around the Village for weeks now. Celebrations of different stages of life. The Rainbow Village Early Childhood Development Center just celebrated the graduation of our three-year preschoolers as they move up and our four-year preschoolers as they move on to kindergarten in the local elementary school. One of our adult residents – Renee – just completed Dental Staff School and will be pursuing a career as a Dental Assistant. We are so proud of you and so excited FOR you all.

What is perhaps most exciting is
the ever-evolving story of our very own Bianca Miller. A mother of three, she graduated
from Rainbow Village two years ago. Since she left our program and moved from
our campus, Bianca and her children have lived in the same location – an
important component in providing stability for the family. Rainbow Village has remained a valued support
system for the Miller family as Bianca’s daughters have continued to take part
in our ECDC and afterschool programming while mom pursued her degree. Bianca
just graduated from Gwinnett Tech with an associate degree in Business
Management (the same month and year her youngest daughter, Zaria, graduated
from our preschool program). Bianca plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree.

“Rainbow Village and its
supporters have been walking with me through this journey for the past three
years,” penned Bianca in a heartfelt note. “Your support could be seen and felt
all around me – at one point pushing me to continue when there was temptation
to quit. I am often reminded of my Village and encouraged to go further. When I
picked up my cap and gown, not only did I feel proud, but the amazement in my
girls’ eyes is something I’ll never forget. Thank you for helping me get to
this moment! ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you’ ~ Philippians 3:1”

We hope you know we’re your biggest cheerleaders, Bianca! We are amazed by all that you’ve accomplished to date and can’t wait to see you realize all the promise your life holds! You’re setting an amazing example for your little girls.

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